Las Vegas Airport Installs Cannabis Amnesty Boxes
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]N[/dropcap]ot only does “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” but if you plan on flying out of Las Vegas, your cannabis stays, too. Bins have been set up around the McCarran International Airport that allow people to throw away any leftover cannabis they may have acquired during their stay before they enter the airport. Recreational cannabis has been legal in Las Vegas since summer 2017, but since cannabis is still illegal on the federal level, it’s illegal to carry on a plane.
The first 13 “amnesty boxes” have been placed around the airport and there are plans to add the remaining seven boxes to the Henderson Executive Airport and North Las Vegas Airport. The Department of Aviation moved to install the 20 boxes after Clark County instituted a ban on cannabis possession and advertising at McCarran back in September. The amnesty boxes are bolted to the ground in high-traffic areas and are serviced multiple times a week by a contracted company, who disposes of the products. In addition to cannabis, the boxes allow for the disposal of other contraband items, including vape pens and prescription drugs. The boxes are also accessible to drop items in and will be monitored regularly to prevent any tampering.
In 2017 before the amnesty boxes were installed, travellers who brought cannabis to the airport had to deal with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who would then decide if the amount of cannabis carried was a felony amount. Officer Aden Ocampo-Gomez of the Las Vegas police force said no citations have been issued regarding the airport’s rules on possession and advertising.
McCarran isn’t the first airport to install the amnesty boxes. After Colorado legalized recreational cannabis six years ago, the Colorado Springs Airport installed amnesty boxes. However, the state’s largest airport, Denver International, decided against installing amnesty boxes, with Spokeswoman Stacey Stegman noting that few airline passengers go through checkpoints with cannabis.
